Clairvoyance
by verdandii
Summary: Captain Janeway is kidnapped by aliens and gets telepathic abilities. [It's not as weird as it sounds, I think. Please R&R. This is my first fanfic, so please be nice.]


Clairvoyance  
  
Author's note: This is my first fanfic, so if u review it, be nice, please.  
  
  
Kathryn Janeway was sitting in her captain's chair on Voyager's bridge with   
Commander Chakotay, a Native American and former Maquis, beside her.  
"Hail them," she said to Harry Kim, the young Korean ensign working at Operations.   
An alien ship was approaching their location. Sensor scans showed that they had superior   
weapons systems, and she didn't want to pose a threat or seem hostile.  
"No response."  
"They are charging weapons," Tuvok the Vulcan tactical officer, informed her.  
"Red Alert. Shields. Tom, evasive maneuvers."  
The ship jolted hard to port, as Tom Paris, Voyager's pilot, dodged a phaser blast.   
This wasn't going to last for long, the captain knew that. Then it lurched down and she had   
to grip hard to her chair to avoid flying out of it. The aliens' next shot found its mark and   
Janeway could feel the ship shudder around her.  
"Shields at 87 percent and falling," shouted Kim over the background noise of the   
Red Alert klaxon. The aggressor aliens fired again, and this time sparks flew from a console   
in the rear of the bridge.  
"Shields at 72 percent. Casualty reports coming in. Minor injuries reported on all   
decks. Warp engines and inertial dampers offline."  
The captain found that out for herself as the ship started to vibrate and roll under her   
feet.  
"Tuvok, target phasers. Fire."  
"Their shields are holding, Captain."  
"Arm photon torpedoes. Fire."  
"No effect. They're preparing a tractor beam."  
"Fire phasers at will. Don't let them get a lock, Mr. Paris."  
"Yes ma'am."  
On top of losing inertial dampers and having the ship rolling, it was now jerking back   
and forth under the constant barrage of enemy fire. The next shot sent the captain flying as   
the ship shook with the vehemence of the aliens firing on it. The surroundings of the ship   
dimmed as Janeway blacked out.  
  
When Captain Janeway woke up, she found herself slumped in an empty gray room.   
It was completely devoid of everything. There didn't even seem to be a door. Out of habit,   
she reached for her combadge, to see if it was still pinned to her uniform, as it should be. It   
was and she tapped it. "Janeway to Chakotay." There was no response. She tried again,   
"Janeway to Chakotay." Silence. "Janeway to Voyager." Silence, again.  
She couldn't just sit around and do nothing, not when her ship was in danger,   
assuming there was still a ship and crew intact. She got up and felt along the wall, for any   
hairline fractures that might indicate a door. Finding nothing, she stooped to inspect the joint   
where the floor and the wall met. It looked as though there might be a crack, suggesting   
maybe the floor was a means of entry, or maybe the room lifted off the floor, like lifting an   
overturned box off the ground. If so, there wasn't anything she could do about it, no way she   
could get out unless she found a mechanical switch somehow, which was doubtful in this   
bare brig. She was trapped.  
  
Chakotay woke up on the biobed in sickbay, after losing consciousness on the   
bridge. He sat up, and immediately regretted it as his head started to throb. The   
holographic doctor saw him and finished up with the patient he was attending to. He walked   
over to Chakotay, pressing a hypospray to his neck to help his migraine. "Good morning,   
Commander."  
"Morning?" he queried, confused. "How long have I been asleep?"  
"Twenty-one hours," the hologram replied cheerfully. Then his disposition changed   
to seriousness as he brought the first officer up to date. "The captain was beamed off the   
ship, somehow, just after the whole bridge crew was knocked unconscious. Don't worry you   
haven't missed much," he added. "Everyone has been waking up gradually over the past   
hour. You seem to be the last to wake up."  
The Doctor saw Chakotay's look of guilt and added gently, "There's nothing you   
could've done. Everyone was unconscious."  
"I know. But I just wish I could've done something. I won't feel better until the   
captain's back on board." He paused a minute, then he thanked the Doctor and rushed out   
of sickbay before the Doctor could give him a medical reason to stay.  
As he walked briskly down the corridor, towards a turbolift, he glanced up at the   
intercom hidden in the ceiling. "All senior officers report to the briefing room, immediately."  
Within a few minutes, everyone was seated in the briefing room. "Okay, people, you   
know the situation. Our first priority is to get Captain Janeway back on this ship, but first I   
want to know the status of our shields and weapons. B'Elanna?"  
He looked expectantly at the half-human, half-Klingon chief engineer, who responded   
quickly.  
"Our shields are holding at 82 percent, but not for long if that…thing fires on us   
again. As for weapons, ready and waiting, but they don't seem to be able to get through   
their shields to do any damage." Then she added, "We still can't go to warp."  
"At least they didn't get a tractor beam on us. I don't know what stopped them, but   
frankly, if we're not tethered to them, I don't care what did," said Tom Paris.  
"And we can't use the transporter because their shields are too strong," said   
Chakotay, more of a question than a statement.  
"Right," answered B'Elanna Torres.  
"Mr. Kim, what do you think? You've been awfully quiet," prodded Chakotay.  
"I'm working on a way to get through their shields. I'm not sure how yet, but if and   
when we can, we could deploy several shuttlecraft to fire on the ship as a decoy, while we   
get Captain Janeway back. Once we disable their shields, we should be able to use   
transporters. If my plan works right, the alien ship will have to spread out their fire, and fire   
on more than one ship, so we may gain a tactical advantage." He glanced at Tuvok, the   
Vulcan who was also the tactical officer, to see if he approved, but what he saw, as usual,   
was the standard, Vulcan, emotionless face. Big surprise, he thought.  
"May I point out," said the Vulcan, for the first time since the meeting began, "that if   
the aliens have used transporter technology once, they could use it again, on any one of the   
pilots in the shuttlecraft."  
"Good point," said Chakotay. But right now that's the best plan I've heard. B'Elanna,   
work with Harry on a way to get through those shields. I want a full report as soon as you're   
done. Dismissed."  
As everyone left, Chakotay sighed. The briefing had gone great, he'd gotten input   
from everyone, except Neelix, the Talaxian cook, who was preparing lunch in the mess hall,   
and Seven of Nine, the former Borg, who was regenerating. His soul wouldn't be at rest until   
his captain was safe. Maybe later he'd talk to his animal guide.  
  
Captain Janeway was baffled. There had to be some way to get out of this brig.   
There simply was no perfect jailing system. Even when some of her crew had been detained   
by the Mokra Order, in their so-called perfect prison, she'd broken though their defenses,   
with some help, of course. Now, she had no help. Doubtless, the ship she was on was firing   
on her ship. They couldn't help her and she couldn't help them.  
She decided to contemplate what she knew. Then she realized that she just didn't'   
know anything for sure. She thought the walls were solid, with no cracks, but she couldn't be   
sure. They could even be holographic, not atoms and molecules, but photons and   
forcefields. There might be a crack between the floor and the walls, but there was really no   
way of knowing. The odds weren't good. Even if Tuvok were here, saying the probability of   
escape was one in two billion she'd feel better. She wished Chakotay were here, he could   
comfort her and tell her everything would be fine, that they'd get out, and she'd believe him.   
Now, she was ultimately alone. She didn't even have a functioning combadge.  
This was getting her nowhere. She had to focus. Wishful thinking wouldn't get her   
out of this brig. To keep herself from thinking about her crew and how much she couldn't   
help them, how helpless she was herself, she started tapping the walls to see if any of them   
were thinner in places. After learning nothing going halfway around the room, she crouched   
on the floor and looked at the joint of it and the wall again. This time she was sure of it, there   
was a gap, maybe one sixteenth of an inch across or less, but definitely a crack. She   
wondered how and when it had moved and if it would move again. She wanted to make sure   
it wouldn't close again, so, finding nothing else, she took off her disabled combadge and   
wedged it into the crack. Suddenly, she felt a wave of drowsiness come over her, and   
slumping herself in a corner, went to sleep.  
  
"Engineering to the bridge."  
"Go ahead Harry."  
"Commander, we think we've figured out a way to beam the captain off the ship.   
Could you meet us in the briefing room?"  
"Okay. I'll meet you there in ten minutes with the rest of the senior staff."  
Ten minutes later, all of the senior staff, this time including Seven, who was helping   
Kim and Torres with the jail break plan; and Neelix, who was not needed in the mess hall for   
a while, were gathered in the briefing room. They were all intent on hearing the new plan to   
rescue their captain and comrade. B'Elanna and Harry exchanged glances, and then Harry   
launched into his spiel.  
"I think if we can narrow the annular confinement beam enough and have a large   
enough EM window we can beam Captain Janeway off, but only if we can weaken their   
shields somewhat. To help accomplish this, Seven thinks she can modify the weapons   
systems on several shuttlecraft for this mission. They won't hold up for more than two hours   
before they wear themselves out."  
Seven explained, "The Borg encountered these aliens before I…" she searched for   
the right word, "…left the Collective. Species 8471, the Xucar. I can modify weapons   
systems on the shuttlecraft to penetrate their shields."  
Then Harry picked up where he left off. "If we can't lower their shields enough, or   
there is some other so far unseen obstacle, we can see if we can't establish communications   
with Captain Janeway. Seven says the Xucar leave communicators on their hostages   
because they don't use them, so they don't understand them or why they should remove   
them. They might not use them because they are telepathic. Seven was removed from the   
Collective before all of the aliens were assimilated, so she doesn't know everything about   
them."  
"What about the problem with them beaming through our shields?" asked Chakotay.  
"Because the shuttlecraft are small enough, Seven thinks she can install advanced   
shielding on them to protect against transporters. It can't totally rule out the possibility, but it   
lessens the risk. Besides, as far as Seven knows, they only kidnap the commanders of   
ships. She doesn't know why."  
"How long will all these modifications take?"  
"About an hour."  
"Get on it."  
  
When Janeway woke up for the second time, she was still aboard the alien vessel,   
still in the brig. It was almost a relief, compared to her dream. She'd gotten her crew home,   
form across the galaxy, but when they got to Earth, it was just a cloud of debris, floating in   
the vacuum of space. To think of that made her shiver, so she decided to busy herself with   
something else.  
She checked on her combadge, which was, by some miracle, still on the edge of the   
floor. The wall had shifted outward again, so it was an eighth of an inch away from the edge   
of the floor. She checked on the other side of the room, and saw that the floor was still up   
against the wall. She got a really bad feeling in her stomach as she realized what was   
happening. Did these aliens have some perverted way of executing people? The floor was   
gradually retracting into the wall. As far as she could see, beneath the floor was nothing but   
an abyss. She thought of all the people she may never see again: Chakotay, Tuvok, Seven,   
Tom, Harry, B'Elanna, Neelix, and the Doctor. Chakotay would have to command Voyager if   
she didn't make it off this ship. She wished she could tell him where she was, what was   
happening, say goodbye to him and her crew. She tried to think positively, but she was   
sinking helplessly into despair.  
  
Chakotay was in his quarters, trying to get some sleep before his next duty shift. He   
wasn't very successful. He kept thinking about Captain Janeway. Whenever he got to   
sleep, he saw almost telepathic images of her falling down a chasm. He also felt a wave of   
hopelessness and regret come over him that were not his own. It was as if someone was   
trying to say goodbye, but it wasn't in words, just this express feeling. He wanted to get   
Janeway back on board and get on with their journey. Remembering when they were in   
"The Void," and she'd said she'd rather be under constant attack, he wondered if she   
preferred this to empty space. From the feelings he'd just experienced, he doubted it. The   
curious thing was she didn't seem as afraid as regretful. She always thought it was her   
responsibility alone to get her crew home safely, and often felt guilty about getting them   
stranded here in the first place. That's how he'd feel if they didn't get her back. Guilty. He'd   
never forgive himself. He'd have to command a Starfleet vessel, his childhood dream, but   
that command would be empty. His only confidantes would be his former crewmates from   
his Maquis days, all his subordinates. No one would be his superior, or his equal, which   
wasn't necessarily a good thing, especially since Tuvok would be his first officer. They'd   
never really gotten along, but they both worried about their captain and her great sense of   
responsibility, her noble willingness to die for her ship and her crew. He couldn't sleep, so   
he decided to get up and see if Harry, B'Elanna, and Seven needed any help in the Shuttle   
Bay.  
  
Presently, in the Shuttle Bay, they were installing Borg-inspired weaponry, specially   
designed to cut through the Xucar shields, and their own shielding, that Seven   
recommended to resist Xucar fire. B'Elanna slammed her fist into a console as Chakotay   
walked in the door.  
"What's wrong?" he asked.  
"The weapons systems keep shorting out before they fire more than ten shots," She   
answered, exasperated.  
"There's just no way the shuttles will be able to supply the amount of energy needed   
to power the new firearms, " said Harry.  
"For long," amended Seven. "You said they can each take approximately ten shots   
before the generator burns out."  
"Correct. What are you getting at?" asked Torres.  
"Make every shot count," said Chakotay. He understood their problem now. The   
weapons were so advanced, and their shuttles so primitive, that they couldn't handle the   
power output. It would be hard to do, but they had to get every shot to find its target.  
"Maybe we should put a second crewman on board each shuttle to fire. The pilot can   
have access to weapons, too, so if they see an opening they can take a shot. After each   
weapons system blows, they can come back to Voyager," proposed Harry.  
That got B'Elanna thinking. "And we could stagger launches and landings to   
maximize the amount of time we are firing. This can work."  
"All right. Now that that's settled, are there any other problems?"  
"No, Commander," said B'Elanna.  
"You have my authority to use whatever personnel and resources necessary to get   
this done as quickly as possible. We don't know exactly how long Captain Janeway can   
wait, but it's not for long."  
  
The floor was now six inches away from the far wall. I wonder if there's some beast   
beneath me that will eat me when I fall, she wondered. Then, I suppose it doesn't matter,   
when I hit the floor, I'll die anyway. She shook herself, mentally. She had to stop this   
sardonic humor and focus on a way to get out of here. She wondered what odds she'd be   
up against when she got out, because she would get out. She had no idea how many   
humanoids were on this vessel, if the crew was even humanoid. She hadn't even seen any   
of this species yet, nor did she know what their race was called. Then a thought came   
unbidden into her mind. Xucar. These people were called the Xucar. Shocked, she stood   
up and looked all around her for any sign of what could have transmitted this bit of   
information to her. Seeing nothing, she figured they were telepathic and told her when they   
read her thoughts. Then she dismissed that idea as she doubted they'd tell her who they   
were, and if they did, why not enclose an image of what they looked like? Besides, it   
seemed as though it had come from somewhere off this ship. She couldn't be sure, couldn't   
analyze the frequency of the transmission like a communications signal and determine if it   
was Starfleet or not, but she could guess.  
Curious about what was under the floor, she reached her hand through to feel the   
wall. She was looking for any grooves that would indicate something that could be used as a   
ladder, but found nothing. She reached farther, her whole arm, up to her shoulder in the   
gap, but still came up empty handed. She had nothing to do now, but wait to greet her   
almost-certain doom, so she decided to tap this half of the room's walls, to see if she would   
find any irregularities, but she seriously doubted she would. While she worked, she   
pondered the thought she had received and its possible origins.  
  
Chakotay had had no real luck with his spirit guide. He hadn't had any more strange   
thoughts drifting through his mind, but he still decided to consult the Doctor about his   
previous experience anyway, even though he'd probably regret it later. After he arrived in   
sickbay, not seeing the Doctor, he said to the computer system, "Activate Emergency   
Medical Holographic Program."  
The balding man in a blue Starfleet uniform fritzed into existence and said, "Please   
state the nature of the medical emergency," his standard, programmed opening line   
whenever he was activated.  
"No emergency, I just wanted to talk to you about some strange experiences I've   
been having."  
"What sorts of experiences?" asked the Doctor as he scanned Chakotay with a   
medical tricorder.  
"I'm not really sure, but I think they're telepathically transmitted messages. For some   
reason, I think they're coming from Captain Janeway. They contain her thoughts and   
experiences she's quite possibly going through now."  
"Hmmm." The Doctor murmured as he ran the tricorder over Chakotay. "I don't see   
anything unusual, except, wait a minute…remember that bad gene you have? The one that   
was active when we were in Chaotic Space?"  
"Yes. What about it?" Chakotay had a feeling he already knew the answer, and he   
wasn't sure he liked it.  
"It's active again, though I don't know what caused it, or when it woke back up."  
"Seven thinks these aliens, the Xucar, could be telepathic. Could that have anything   
to do with it?"  
"I don't think it's a coincidence, if that's what you mean. I don't see how Captain   
Janeway could have gotten telepathic powers to communicate with you though."  
"Thank you, Doctor." Chakotay got up to leave and the Doctor looked mildly   
surprised.  
"I'm going to ask Tuvok for a logical analysis," he explained. Then he left and got   
into the turbolift.  
"Chakotay to Tuvok."  
"Tuvok here. What is it, Commander?"  
"Meet me in the ready room."  
"On my way. Tuvok out."  
  
"As I see it, the answer is one of four possibilities. One, the Captain's thoughts are   
being sent to you from the Xucar, they have read her mind and they are the truth; two, the   
Xucar have made up false experiences to transmit to you. If they have read her mind, they   
know how these thoughts will affect you. Three, Captain Janeway is deliberately telling you   
these things, although I do not see how she could; that is highly unlikely. Four, what you   
have experienced is nothing more than the result of your guilt over the situation, and you   
should ignore it." Tuvok was giving Chakotay his "logical analysis."  
"What I felt and saw was real, I know that, Tuvok. It looks like we're back to three   
possibilities. From what I know, these aliens don't seem like very personable people. I don't   
like the idea that they've read her mind."  
"Nor do I. But it is highly speculative that Captain Janeway sent this message of her   
own accord. The only other explanation that I see is that they have read her mind. However   
it is possible that she somehow developed telepathic abilities."  
"Thanks, Tuvok. I'll think about that. And I'll tell you if I find out anything more.   
Dismissed."  
  
During his off duty hours, Chakotay sat in his quarters, pondering the whole   
telepathic experience. No doubt it was real, but he hoped it wasn't the same as the last time   
his "bad gene" was active. It had made him hysterical, and he'd kept hallucinating. He   
needed to be sharp now, to help Voyager through their encounter with the Xucar.  
  
Captain Janeway was now crouched on a strip of floor that was about a foot and a   
half wide and shrinking. It had started to accelerate as it got farther inside the wall, and now   
you could see it moving slowly back. She thought about her crew, and once again wished   
she could talk to her crew, and Voyager's future commanding officer. You'll make a great   
captain, she thought.  
  
All of the sudden, Chakotay heard a voice in his head. It wasn't hazy like it was   
before, this time it was distinct words, in his captain's voice. You'll make a great captain.   
Before he lost contact, if he even had contact, he concentrated and reached out with his   
mind. Kathryn?  
  
Kathryn? She heard her name, but it was in her head, not from outside. The strange   
thing was, Chakotay was saying it. In spite of herself, she answered out loud. "Chakotay?   
Are you there?" There was no answer. Then in her mind again, Captain, can you hear me?   
This time she tried to communicate with her mind, determined not to lose whatever contact   
she'd made, but hoping it wasn't a Xucar trick. Chakotay, is that you?  
Yes. Are you okay? How are you communicating with me?  
I'm okay, but not for long. As to your second question, I thought you were   
communicating with me. I didn't start this conversation.  
Yes, you did. I was in my quarters when I heard you say I'd make a great captain.  
You heard that? Well, never mind that for now. The floor I'm on is just about to   
disappear. She tried to convey the thought at once without words. There wasn't enough   
time for words. Do you understand?  
Yes. He told her in a burst of information, like she had, about their rescue plan.  
I think I've gotten these telepathic abilities from the Xucar. I think I can find out our   
location and shield frequency and tell you. Then match the annular confinement beam to the   
frequency and beam me out.  
We'll keep the shuttle project on reserve just in case. There was no response.   
Captain? Kathryn, are you there? There was still only silence to mock him. Seconds later,   
he felt a rush of pain that was not his own. The floor had disappeared underneath her while   
she was busy talking to him! He could still feel a consciousness on the other end, so to   
speak, but it was too weak to respond. Surprisingly, he now knew the location of the Xucar   
ship and its shield frequency. He jumped up out of his quarters to the turbolift. "Deck one.   
Bridge."  
  
The floor had seemed to vaporize under Janeway's feet; it had disappeared so fast   
and suddenly. The fall was not as far as she'd expected, and she found herself on the floor   
of a chimney-like shaft. It was almost pitch black and she could just barely make out a   
doorway to her left. She went to it, and soon found herself in an empty, brightly-lit corridor.   
Strange jailing system, she thought. She went to her right this time, looking over her   
shoulder for any crewmembers she might see. She didn't have to wait long, a few steps later   
she almost ran into a short, squat little humanoid. Excuse me, it said, telepathically. Hurry   
to your station, we're at a first degree alert.  
Then it hurried down the corridor. Janeway stood dumfounded for a few seconds. It   
hadn't seemed to recognize her as different, even in her red-and-black Starfleet uniform,   
even in comparison to his green-and-yellow, Talaxian-like outfit. Then she hurried down the   
corridor, to fit in, and because she was eager to find a place where she could do some   
sabotage. The plain gray corridors were empty, just like her former cell.  
Following a curve in the corridor, she ran into another alien, this one different. It was   
really tall, with no hair, pink skin, and a yellow tunic. Nice outfit, she thought sarcastically,   
and immediately regretted it and apologized as she remembered her telepathic abilities.  
As she proceeded down the corridor, she realized that no two aliens on this ship   
were the same, and they must have some built in translator, because they all understood   
each other and her. She also realized that there was no where to sabotage. The only   
doorways led to rooms of humanoids lined up in chairs with headsets on.  
Then it hit her. These aliens were all telepathic; they didn't use any outside   
communications, that's why they didn't answer hails. They probably kidnapped her to   
expand their race and their knowledge. They were kind of like the Borg. But much more   
primitive. There were probably dozens of ways to escape, these aliens were individuals, and   
some of them actually seemed happy to be here. They didn't need open to have open   
equipment. They accessed it mentally! That's what all the rooms were for! For a second,   
she felt bad about what she was going to do. The aliens she'd met had all been nice, even   
though she'd only talked to them for a few seconds. They must've brainwashed her and   
everyone else, so they wouldn't disrupt ship activities, whatever they were.  
She steeled herself, and then ran to the nearest room. There was only one vacant   
seat. Luck was on her side. She sat down and pulled the headset over her head. She   
instantly could see all the ship's systems and how they worked. She accessed weapons and   
just as she was about to shut it down and fry the network, the ship shook, jolted with a   
massive energy burst. Voyager must have found her, but why didn't they just beam her off?  
  
Back on Voyager, Commander Chakotay tried to reestablish his telepathic link with   
Janeway. So far he wasn't having much luck. He was on the bridge, leading the ship to her   
coordinates. They would intercept the alien vessel in about five minutes.  
"We have intercepted the Xucar vessel, Commander," said Ensign Kim from his   
usual post at Ops.  
"Raise shields. B'Elanna, can you get a lock on the captain?"  
"No. The frequency the captain gave us doesn't match their current frequency. They   
must've changed it since the captain last talked to you."  
Did the whole ship know about the telepathic experiences he'd had? Word traveled   
fast on this ship. "Hail them."  
"No response…wait a minute. Incoming message," said Harry.  
"On screen."  
"What do you want with us?" said the Xucar commander, without preamble.  
"We are here to retrieve our captain. We have reason to believe she is being   
detained aboard your ship."  
"She is not your captain anymore. She has been recruited to serve us. She is no   
longer loyal to you."  
"Are you sure?" Then to Harry, "End transmission."  
The main viewscreen blinked back to show the Xucar vessel instead of its captain. A   
few seconds later, the lights on every visible part of the alien ship went out.  
  
Captain Janeway had disabled weapons and main power while she waited,   
wondering why Voyager hadn't beamed her off this ship yet. She decided to give them a   
little bit of help by disabling the shields, and discovered the frequency was different. So, they   
noticed the frequency change, but they haven't figured out who's sabotaging their ship or   
how to stop them. She tried to talk to Chakotay, to ask why she was still over here when she   
discovered she couldn't reestablish the link. The headset and the fact that she was still   
linked to the ship's systems must be causing the difficulty. She proceeded to shut down the   
shields, and knocked out navigation and propulsion, and tried to get out of the euphoric   
feeling of being linked to the computer by her mind. She discovered she couldn't, she was   
trapped in this linkage system!  
She wondered what would happen if she removed the headset while she was still   
linked to the computer, and decided the risk was small enough, and proceeded. If she didn't,   
the system might also interfere with transport. The minute she took off the headpiece, she   
felt kind of lightheaded. She could also sense that someone, presumably Chakotay, wanted   
to talk to her. It was almost as if her combadge was chirping, and all she had to do was tap   
it, except that she didn't have her combadge with her. It was still in the cell. She tried to   
respond to Chakotay, and succeeded after a few minutes and a lot of effort. Then, all of the   
sudden, she blacked out with Chakotay's voice ringing in the back of her mind.  
  
After the Xucar ship had gone dark, Chakotay tried again to contact Janeway, but to   
no avail. He had kept trying while Voyager stood in a stalemate with the now disabled ship,   
until Harry Kim broke his concentration.  
"The Xucar's shields have dropped, sir."  
"B'Elanna, can you get a transporter lock now?"  
"No. Commander, this is strange, but I'm not picking up any human lifesigns. Not   
even one. If the captain's on there, she's registering as Xucar on sensors," she responded   
from the engineering console on the bridge.  
"They said the captain was no longer loyal to us. Perhaps she has been assimilated   
or something similar. Otherwise she may have been executed," said Tuvok from his station   
at Tactical.  
"Perhaps. But I don't like those ideas any more than you do," said Chakotay.  
"I have not expressed any opinion or displayed any emotion."  
"No, but I know you well enough to know that you, nor anyone else on this ship likes   
that idea. Continue scans, and alert me to any progress you might make. Tuvok, you have   
the bridge. I'm going to see if I can contact Captain Janeway again."  
He exited the bridge and went into the captain's ready room. He only wished she   
were here to occupy her room. He seated himself at her desk, and closed his eyes. Then   
he reached out with his mind, like he often did on vision quests, to try to find Janeway's mind   
and enter it. He could feel her consciousness, as much as he could feel his own heartbeat,   
but he couldn't contact her. Her mind was being occupied by something else. He decided to   
wait, mind open, until she answered, or could answer, so that he wouldn't lose the chance to   
communicate.  
After a few seconds, he sensed her, and knew she sensed him, but she wouldn't   
respond, or couldn't. He waited, urging her to open her mind, and for a second, they made   
contact, then she blacked out. She was still there, but it was like her mind was unconscious.   
Then he could sense all her memories; it was like her mind was open to him, even though it   
was asleep. All he had to do was think about what he wanted to know and he accessed her   
thoughts and memories about it.  
He concentrated, and got information about the shields and Xucar in general. He   
quickly entered all of the data into a data padd (personal access display device) sitting on   
Janeway's desk and headed out to the bridge. As he came in, he started talking, "I think   
she's been transformed to have Xucar qualities, but she can be loyal to whomever she   
wants. They're just too ignorant to realize some people they recruit won't be too happy to   
see them. Right now, I think Janeway's unconscious, but alive. B'Elanna, I'm transmitting   
the shield frequency to you now."  
"I'm compensating. I can get a lock on any person in there, but I don't know who's   
the captain."  
"Hang on, I'll see if I can figure out where she is," said Chakotay as he slipped into a   
euphoric trance. He saw where she was when she passed out, but couldn't be sure if she   
had been moved.  
"B'Elanna, she's on deck 5, section 21 alpha, at least she was. Is there anyone at   
that location?"  
"Yes. I'm locking on…I've got a lock."  
"Energize."  
"She's in Transporter Room One," she informed him, but he was already on his way   
to the turbolift.  
  
In Transporter Room One, Chakotay found his captain alive, but unconscious. To   
the intercom he said, "Chakotay to sickbay. Medical emergency." Then to the transporter   
operator, "Beam us directly to sickbay."  
They both materialized in sickbay, and the Doctor had already been activated. He   
helped Chakotay get Captain Janeway up onto the biobed. Then the Doctor ran a series of   
tests, scanning with his tricorder and injecting her with several hyposprays. When he had   
finished, he said, "Now all we can do is wait. She's suffered severe neural trauma and I've   
treated her for everything I can. She'll have to heal the rest herself."  
"What about this whole telepathic thing? Will it go away, after she's away from the   
Xucar, or is it permanent?"  
"It should subside after a while. For you, even sooner. It was just your bad gene   
acting up because Janeway wanted to contact you. She didn't know the extent of her   
telepathic abilities. She didn't even know she had telepathic abilities."  
"Can I try to wake her up with it? Can I help heal her?"  
"I've never seen you so interested in medicine, Commander. You can try to heal her   
if you'd like, but it's pretty risky. You can't wake her up until her mind has healed, though."  
"I'll try." As the Doctor walked away to a console to monitor their lifesigns, Chakotay   
took her hand in his, as if some physical contact would help, and slipped into a dream-like   
state of mind. He tried for the umpteenth time to contact his friend, and hoped this time it   
would be easier than the others had been, although he knew it wouldn't. He thrust all his   
mental energy into her mind, so that she could wake up. He really had no idea what he was   
supposed to do, and just willed her to wake up. After a while he felt a reception on the other   
end of this line, as if Captain Janeway were just waking up. He decided to help wake her up   
mentally by talking to her. It might help her focus.  
Captain, Can you hear me? Concentrate on my voice…  
Chakotay…  
She was getting stronger by the minute, and he withdrew from her mind. He looked   
at her body lying on the biobed, but there was no sign of change. He walked over to where   
the Doctor was and asked if he had found anything.  
"Her vital signs are getting stronger. I should be able to wake her with a stimulant.   
Congratulations, Commander. You did it." He walked to a cart outside his office, and   
prepared a hypospray. Then he came over and pressed it to her neck. Slowly, she blinked,   
and reentered the land of the living. She sat up, and looked around sickbay, then at the   
Doctor and Chakotay.  
"You finally beamed me off that circus."  
"Circus?" asked the first officer.  
"Then she explained to him the Xucar ship, how all the aliens were different, and how   
comical they were. "They had no security. I just linked up to their main computer, and   
turned off all their systems."  
"But you nearly destroyed your mind."  
"I'm here now and I'm fine. By the way, how did you do that?"  
"Telepathically. I went into your mind so to speak, and transferred mental energy   
into your mind, I guess. Now that I think about it, I'm really tired."  
"You should be," piped the Doctor. "You just resuscitated a near-dead patient."  
"Doctor, am I free to go?" asked Janeway. He finished his tricorder scans and   
nodded.  
Yes, but get some sleep. Doctor's orders."  
She rolled her eyes and smiled, and she and Chakotay exited together. As they   
walked down the corridor, they told each other their experiences while the other was gone.   
As they came to the captain's quarters, they bid each other good night and Chakotay walked   
on to his room.  
  
And as they slept, Voyager continued on its mission: seeking out strange new   
worlds, new life, and new civilizations; boldly going where no one has gone before…on its   
journey home.  
  
  
Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager [the ship, the show, the characters, the Delta Quadrant, the   
24th century…need I go on?] belong to Paramount. I just borrowed them for the story.  



End file.
